Did you know that more than 3 million people in the United States have dental implants? Dental implant surgery is one of the best ways to permanently fix teeth, so if you’re going to be undergoing this treatment, you should know the answer to the question, “How long does dental implant surgery take?”
Knowing how long not only the surgical procedure takes but also the time it takes to heal is important when it comes to planning in advance. Read on to learn how long the process of getting dental implants is so you can start planning.
The First Steps
During your first appointment, your dentist will take an X-ray of your teeth and jaw to see if you are a good candidate for dental implant surgery. If your jawbone is weak, dental implants might not be a good option for you right away. Instead, you might need to undergo a bone graft so there is more bone in your jaw to work with.
If this is necessary, you will need to wait a few months for the bone graft to heal. If not, you won’t have any problems going in for implant surgery. The first step of getting dental implants is to first get the posts.
Posts are small titanium rods that your dentist will drill into your jawbone. The crown (the artificial tooth) will not be added to the abutment until later. That’s because the posts will need time to heal as your jawbone grows around the metal.
The surgery to get the posts will only take 2 to 3 hours. But once you have the posts, you will need to wait around 3 months for them to heal before you can get the rest of the implants.
After your first surgery, you may experience some swelling, bleeding, and pain, but this is normal and the side effects should go away on their own.
Crown Fitting
After 3 months of healing, it will be time to finish off your dental implants with a crown fitting. This surgery is less invasive than the first and it will ensure that the dental implant crowns fit around the posts perfectly. This step is important because if the crowns don’t fit well, they may become loose or even fall out later on.
Your dentist will need to expose your gums to fit the crowns. The dentist will also use abutments which are much like shock absorbers that sit between the titanium posts and the crowns. That way, the crowns will be very comfortable in your mouth when you’re talking and eating.
This surgery won’t take as long as the first since it isn’t as invasive. Usually, it lasts between 1 and 2 hours. After the surgery, you will need to heal up again, but by that time, your dental implants will be complete and your implants will look as good as your real teeth.
From start to finish, getting dental implants will take several months. While that is a long time, the results are worthwhile.
How Long Does Dental Implant Surgery Take?
How long does dental implant surgery take? Two surgeries are involved for dental implants and both take a few hours. After the surgeries, several months of healing are necessary, but the results are worth the wait.
To learn more, check out the dental implants we have to offer.
